Interview with Robert F. Houlihan, May 21, 1990

Partial Transcript: Your, uh, your group was called the Operations Group by the British wasn't it?

Segment Synopsis: Houlihan discusses his battalion being an Operational Group after joining the O.S.S. He talks about the specialized training they underwent once they joined up with the British commandos, and admits that his group was less experienced than the British.

Keywords: Ambushes; Americans; Attack; British; Commandos; Decimated; Defense; Experience; Infantry tactics; Jack Churchill; Knowledge; Losses; Office of Strategic Services (O.S.S.); Operational groups (O.G.); Operations groups (O.G.); Raids; Salerno (Italy); Specialized; Targets; Training; Units

Subjects: United States. Army--Military life; United States. Army. Infantry; Vis (Croatia); World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Europe; World War, 1939-1945--Regimental histories--United States; World War, 1939-1945--Secret service

Partial Transcript: Um, I, I--did you feel, um, that you were received as, as, as, as equal partners or as junior partners initially?

Segment Synopsis: Houlihan talks about his battalion's predictions that they would be sent into Greece due to their majority Greek ethnic background. He talks about how those plans were changed when Colonel West decided to send them to Yugoslavia.

Keywords: Americans; Attacks; Cairo (Egypt); Changes; Commanders; Ethnicity; Greek; Guerilla warfare; Office of Strategic Services (O.S.S.); Orders; Reception; Unit; Vis (Croatia); Yugoslavia

Subjects: Greece; United States. Army--Military life; United States. Army. Infantry; World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Europe; World War, 1939-1945--Regimental histories--United States; World War, 1939-1945--Secret service

Partial Transcript: Um, one thing that, um, it was said was, was greatly admired was, um, uh, again the, the fact that, uh, Americans were open and enthusiastic.

Segment Synopsis: Houlihan talks about how the American soldiers were perceived by the British commandos already stationed on Vis when they arrived. He talks about how the British soldiers were impressed by the Americans' equipment and tells a story about the capabilities of their radios.

Keywords: Age; Americans; Biokovo Mountain; British; Commanders; Communications; Equipment; Inspections; Jack Churchill; Major Peter D. Clainos; Major Phillip Lovell; Missions; Mountains; Officers; Older; Radio operator; Radios; Range; Reconnaissance; Scedro Island; Special weapons; Technology; Šćedro Island

Subjects: United States. Army--Military life; United States. Army. Infantry; Vis (Croatia); World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Europe; World War, 1939-1945--Regimental histories--United States

Partial Transcript: What, uh--when you first landed on Vis, what were your first impressions of the Partisans?

Segment Synopsis: Houlihan tells a story about arriving into the harbor on Vis and being shot at by a sentry, but then being welcomed by a band. He talks about working with some of the British commandos stationed on Vis, including a raid on Solta.

Keywords: Alan Parsons; Attacks; Bands; British; Comiza (Croatia); Commandos; Dark; Harbors; Islands; Landing Craft Infantry (LCI); Lawrence McCallum; MacMinimum; Night; Raids; Reactions; Reception; Sentries; Shooting; Skipper Barney Greg; Solta Island; Towns; Troops; Welcome; Yugoslav Partisans

Subjects: United States. Army--Military life; United States. Army. Infantry; Vis (Croatia); World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Europe; World War, 1939-1945--Regimental histories--United States

Partial Transcript: Well let me take you back, um, to, to the Yugoslavs themselves.

Segment Synopsis: Houlihan discusses his impressions of the local Yugoslav Partisans and tells a story he heard about them negotiating weapons away from the Italian army.

Keywords: Admiration; Americans; Capitulation; Croatia; Equipment; Experience; Foreign; Impressions; Italian soldiers; Italy; Negotiations; Uniforms; Weapons; Yugoslav Partisans

Subjects: United States. Army--Military life; United States. Army. Infantry; Vis (Croatia); World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Europe; World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Italy; World War, 1939-1945--Regimental histories--United States; Yugoslavia.

Partial Transcript: Um--(coughs)--many of the ones you were--uh, and that were located at Vis were Communists.

Segment Synopsis: Houlihan talks about the Yugoslav Partisans' political beliefs, focusing on communism. He tells a story about being in Vis on May Day when the locals began shooting guns in the air in celebration.

Keywords: Anti-aircraft guns; Arrival; Badges; Celebrations; Chain of command; Crni; Framework of authority; Germans; Jack Churchill; Josip Broz Tito; Justification; Leaders; Major Phillip Lovell; May Day; Medals; Political beliefs; Political philosophy; Red Army Day; Salutes; Shooting; Tehran; Troops; Units

Subjects: Communism; Communists; Vis (Croatia); World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Europe; Yugoslavia.

Partial Transcript: Um, you met Lieutenant Commander Morgan Giles didn't you?

Segment Synopsis: Houlihan talks about meeting Lieutenant Commander Morgan Giles. He talks about a reconnaissance mission he was sent on with both British commandos and local Yugoslav Partisans to Biokovo Mountain to demolish a railroad bridge. He talks about why his first three attempts failed.

Keywords: Americans; Biokovo Mountain; Bombings; Bridges; British; Comiza (Croatia); Decisions; Demolitions; Dinners; Failure; Germans; Headquarters; Hvar (Croatia); Jack Churchill; Landing; Lieutenant Commander Morgan Giles; Mainland; Motor gun boats; Mountains; Naval officer; Navy; Operational groups (O.G.); Railroad lines; Reconnaissance missions; Respected; Scedro Island; Spotted; Storms; Vis (Croatia); Yugoslav Partisans; Šćedro Island

Subjects: United States. Army--Military life; United States. Army. Infantry; Vis (Croatia); World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Europe; World War, 1939-1945--Reconnaissance operations; World War, 1939-1945--Regimental histories--United States; World War, 1939-1945--Secret service; World War, 1939-1945--Underground movements--Yugoslavia; Yugoslavia.

Partial Transcript: Well what happened on your fourth attempt when you went on in?

Segment Synopsis: Houlihan talks more about the reconnaissance mission he was sent on with both British commandos and local Yugoslav Partisans to Biokovo Mountain to demolish a railroad bridge. He talks about the local female porters who assisted their group. He talks about his fourth attempt, and discusses why the local Partisans did not want the Americans and British to succeed in their mission. The interview is concluded.

Keywords: American troops; Attempts; Boats; Bridges; Communism; Demolitions; Equipment; Foothold; Germans; Guns; Headquarters; Landing; Locals; Occupation; Porters; Radios; Reprisals; Revenge; Supplies; Units; Vis (Croatia); Weapons; Women; Yugoslav Partisans; Yugoslavia

Subjects: United States. Army--Military life; United States. Army. Infantry; Vis (Croatia); World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Europe; World War, 1939-1945--Reconnaissance operations; World War, 1939-1945--Regimental histories--United States; World War, 1939-1945--Secret service; World War, 1939-1945--Underground movements--Yugoslavia; Yugoslavia.